A Pirate's Life For Me
by Squidly is gorjus
Summary: Orphaned at the age of six, Amber has been brought up by a distant relative in Tortuga. Amber is unlike every other women there. For one thing, she thinks Pirates are cheating scum…
1. Chapter 1

**A Pirate's Life for me**

**Orphaned at the age of six,Amber has been brought up by a distant relative in Tortuga.Amber is unlike every other women there. For one thing, she thinks Pirates are cheating scum…**

**Okay, I have decided to attempt a Pirates of the Caribbean FF. I've always loved the movie so I thought I may as well take a chance at a FF.**

**Please R&R. It won't be total crap, I promise. I don't want flames, just constructive criticism please.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything that you recognise.**

**Chapter 1**

The early morning breeze swept along the ocean causing small waves to stir and gently lap against the shore. True, it was chilly but Amber didn't mind the cold, she was used to it.

She sat on the soft sand, wrapped tightly in a green blanket, her back pressed against the rock that she was leaning on. It wasn't really that comfy but Amber didn't seem to notice. She was used to being uncomfortable. Sleeping on an itchy, straw bed for 22 years had made her used to it.

A small, grey coloured cat, sat curled up on her lap, purring softly in his sleep. She stroked him tenderly as she stared out at the calm ocean which almost seemed to match the sky, it was that blue.

Amber's wave of dishevelled curls cascaded down past her shoulders- her hair was always messy and windswept. Her face was small and innocent- looking. It was so pale that her bright green eyes stood out tremendously. They were like cats eyes and so very unusual. They seemed to peer at you as though they were looking right through you. And when she was annoyed they'd blaze, like emerald green flames.

Her figure was very petite, probably caused by lack of food, but the landlord was to blame for that. This caused her to look half her age, and so vulnerable. But Amber wasn't vulnerable, you couldn't afford to be, living in Tortuga. Amber was a very strong- willed, independent person. She had made herself that way growing up. She had learnt that the best way to get by is to be as stony and cold as possible to other people, so they wouldn't realise how much she was actually pleading for help underneath it all. It was also to prevent them from taking advantage of her. She was determined not to come across as just a whore from Tortuga.

In fact, she had never been with a man- ever. She had promised herself she wouldn't get caught up with the evil, lousy pirates who inhabited Tortuga. She hated them. They were all pathetic drunks and womanisers. She had never let one get close to her and she had never been so much as friendly to one.

At 28, everyone would say she should have been married off by now. Amber knew she would never marry, especially if the only men she would meet are pirates or just plain scum. They repulsed her. As far as she was concerned, they were stupid drunkards and thieves. Always rioting, always stealing, always cheating. She didn't dare risk going with one, she didn't want her heart broken, like she had seen happen to many women in Tortuga.

As Amber sat, deep in thought, she couldn't help but notice how very peaceful it was. Peacefulness was very rare in Tortuga. Early morning at the sea shore was the only time and place you would get peace and quiet. At this time, almost all of Tortuga's residents are sleeping after a hectic night of drinking and fighting.

This was the only time Amber could get away from work so she could sit and think about things without noisy interruptions. It was the only place she could be where she could pretend she was somewhere else.

Somewhere far away from Tortuga...

Sometimes she'd think about her parents, although she could barely remember them. She was six when they died. They were both killed by pirates who had looted their home. Perhaps that was why she hated pirates so much. They had caused her to leave a life of happiness and come and live here with a distant relative who was the landlord of one of the local taverns.

She hated the landlord. He had mistreated her for as long as she could remember. He had treated her as he would a servant. She had worked as a barmaid in his tavern for as long as she could remember and she slept down in the cellar on a bed of straw and a few blankets.

Her only company was her pet cat, Smoky, who she had found wondering the streets a couple of years back. It was raining and the poor thing looked so scraggy and frail she had decided to take it in, much to the landlords displeasure. The only way she had been allowed to keep Smoky was because she had convinced the landlord that he would keep the mice down in the cellar.

Amber noticed some old ladies, who had just come onto the beach, set up their wooden tables full of jewellery, materials and stuff that pirates had brought back from their travels. Most of it was cheap, useless junk.Amber nudged Smoky ever so slightly. He opened one eye and peered up at her, lazily.

"C'mon Smoky," Amber spoke to the cat, "I best purchase some material to finish my dress before we have to go to work,"

Amber made her own clothes. The landlord had never provided any for her and she had always used the little money she earned to buy material from the old lady's stalls so she could sew her own. She was gifted at making clothes and she rather enjoyed it. She was working on a new dress recently, a red, white and emerald green one. Her dresses were quite elaborate styles. They were like no other dresses any of the other women in Tortuga wore. For one thing, they weren't quite as revealing, for another, they could be described almost as witch- like, because Amber would often decorate them with beads and accessories.

Smoky yawned and stretched his claws out. Amber sighed and shoved the fat lump of a cat off of her lap. She patted him on the head before pulling the blanket off of herself. She stood up uneasily from sitting down for so long. She smoothed down the charcoal- black dress she was wearing- another one of her creations.

It was a very beautiful dress and it matched her hair perfectly. It had long sleeves which draped her hands and it had glistening silver thread running through it. She had made it look even more mystical and beautiful by decorating it with black and silver beads and necklaces with skulls she had bought from a nearby stall. She also wore a chunky, beaded necklace which had a green stone dangling off the end of it. Her wrists were wrapped with beads, ribbons and bangles and she wore belts of feathers and beads around her waist.

Amber ran a hand through her wild nest of hair and began to walk towards the stalls, folding the blanket up and tucking it under her arm as she went. "Smoky!" She called as she clicked her fingers together which made some bangles on her wrist clank against one another. Smoky looked up and began to follow her.

Thetavern was already full of noise and commotion when Amber arrived to start her shift. Her newly brought materials tucked under her arm, she attempted to make it past all the rowdy fights and drunken louts, without getting knocked over or grabbed. Smoky stayed close to her ankles which made it almost impossible to walk.

She felt someone grab onto her dress. She swung around violently and saw that it was some smelly drunk. He looked new in this area, most men knew not to mess with Amber.

"Give us a kiss," the drunk slurred, his rum intoxicated breath making Amber gag.

Amber rolled her eyes and said, "Let me think…eh…no!" and with that she hit him over the head with a nearby bottle. He staggered and fell back wards, immediately snoring in alcohol- fuelled slumber.

Amber finally managed to make her way behind bar. Not that it was much safer there. People where trying to get free rum yet again and the workers at the bar where finding it difficult to fend them off. Amber sighed dismally and made her way to the cellar so she could put her material away.

Amber put her materials in a small wooden crate beside her straw bed. She dreaded going back out to the bar. She hated working there, she hated living in the cellar, she hated the landlord. She felt as though she hated everything about her life and she longed to escape, to get away from it all. She just didn't know where to go, everywhere in Tortuga is the same, it seemed impossible to get away from that style of life. She had spent all her life living like this, she didn't know any other way.

Amber returned to the bar and tried to gain some order. Gaining order in the bar was like fighting a losing battle. It was an impossible task and Amber knew the best she could do was try and serve drinks and collect empty glasses without getting squished beneath a rowdy bust- up or getting harassed by a drunken lout. Easier said than done, of course.

Amber set straight to work, trying her hardest to block the noise out so she could actually concentrate. She began collecting the empty glasses on a nearby table when she felt a rough hand grab her slender wrist.

Amber sighed in deeply, thinking that the guy who had tried to kiss her before was attempting to do so again. She was all ready to turn around and take a swing at him when she noticed the hand belonged to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow who was standing beside her. She had heard so many stories about him from the other pirates talking about it in the tavern.

She noticed Jack hadn't changed from the last time he had been in Tortuga. Still, he had the same staggering, uneasy pose as though he was consistently drunk (which he probably was). He had the same wild mane of black hair threaded with beads, the same hat perched on his head, the same brown, kohl- rimmed eyes, the same smug smirk on his face.

She even noticed as he spoke that he had the same slightly slurred speech, "Amber, Amber…that is your name isn't it, luv?"

"Might be, Why do ya want to know?" Amber said dully, trying to pull her wrist from his grasp. She knew what he was going to say next. He asked her every time.

"Hey Amber, How about ya come and sit down with us and have a couple of drinks," he said, gesturing towards the table.

"Captain Jack Sparrow…you ask me that every time, you should know the answer by now," Amber said, rolling her eyes at him.

"But it doesn't hurt in trying," he grinned at her as he said this, showing a row of gold teeth.

Amber stomped down hard onto Jack's foot. He leapt back and let go of her in surprise.

"Perhaps it does," she said, smiling slightly as she watched him wincing in pain, "Go and ask one of the brothel girls for company next time, Jack."

She began to walk away and as she did so she said, "And do you really think I'm going to have a drink with a man who can't even remember my name,"

Amber had to work long hours in the tavern, with few breaks. It was difficult work. Most of the other employees managed to get by with a little help from drink. Amber forced herself to suffer through it all stone cold sober. She'd seen drink destroy people, she didn't want that to happen to her.

It was growing dark and the tavernwas even more rowdier than it was that morning, if that was at all possible. What made matters worse was that the brothel girls had started work, so they were parading in the tavern, looking for punters and causing fights between the men.

Loud commotion suddenly erupted behind the bar. Amber scurried over to see what was going on. A burly man was attempting to steal a whole barrel of rum. He had violently knocked a barmaid over in his hurry to grab it off of her. He began to run out of the bar, the barrel clutched in his muscular arms.

"What are you staring at, Amber, Go after him!" the landlord's angry voice startled Amber slightly.

"What? Why me?" Amber said, looking round at the grumpy, plump landlord behind her.

"Because I say so," the landlord growled, pushing her forwards, "Go on, get after him!"

Amber stared at the landlord in disbelief before running out of the pub, after the rum- thief. He hadn't got very far, he was just standing in the cobbled street, trying to open the barrel.

"Oi, Thief, that is our rum!" Amber yelled at him, grabbing the barrel and attempting to pull it towards herself.

"My rum now," the man said, pulling the barrel back with so much force that Amber almost fell over, "Finder's keepers, missy,"

Amber refused to let go of the barrel which seemed to make the rum- thief even more angry. "Your that witch- girl aren't ye?" the man said, still with a firm grip on the barrel, "The virgin. The one who hates all men,"

"I don't care much for rumours going around about me," Amber replied, still refusing to let go of the barrel. True, she had heard what people call her, but she chose to ignore it.

The man pulled the barrel upwards, forcing Amber to let go. The barrel slipped from the man's arms and bashed against a nearby wagon causing the barrel to explode and send a river of rum streaming through the cobbles. Immediately, alcoholics who had run out of money, came hoarding over to drink as much rum as possible. Even off of the dirty ground.

The rum- thief turned to face Amber. His face distorted in anger. Amber glared back at him, her eyes blazing.

"Ye have to pay for that," Amber said, humouring him slightly. She knew that because he had stolen the rum in the first place there was no way he was going to pay for it.

The man did not reply, just advanced on her menacingly. Amber stood her ground. Her hand clutched a small dagger hidden in her dress.

He grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her close to him, "Rum was going to be me pleasure tonight, I suppose I'll have to find a new way of amusing meself,"

Amber struggled to pull away as he pushed her face near his. She managed to kick him hard in the shin but this didn't have much effect on the man, just made him even more angry. He pulled at the front of her dress and a loud ripping sound could be heard. Amber knew he had ripped her dress. She looked down and saw that her undergarments were slightly on show. She tried to cover it but the man just pulled her arms away. Amber felt anger well up inside of her. It had taken her months to get this beautiful dress just right, and now it was torn.

She reached for the dagger and was just about to pull it out when she noticed the man had stopped pulling her closer to him. Instead, he just stood there, frozen to the spot. Amber stopped struggling and looked at the man in confusion for a couple of seconds, then she noticed that he had a cold sword pressed against his neck.

The man started whimpering slightly. Amber pulled away from him and pulled her dress up to cover the part of her undergarments which was visible. She looked behind the rum-thief to see who the sword belonged to.

It was non other than Captain Jack Sparrow.

**Thanks for reading. I'd really appreciate some reviews to tell me how I've done. xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews. T'was very nice of you: ) **

Just need to apologise for the typo in the last chapter. I was debating whether to call my character Amber or Charlotte and I got myself kinda confused and ended up writing Charlotte in the summary when I had actually decided to call my character Amber. Sorry bout that but I've sorted it out now. Just for the record, her name is going to be Amber not Charlotte. Thanks to the people who told me about the typo, I wouldn't of noticed otherwise. I really need to learn to proofread.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

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**Chapter Two**

Amber looked at Captain Jack Sparrow in shock, wondering where he had come from. She hadn't even heard him approach. Jack's normally cocky and conceited expression that Amber was used to had completely changed to one of determination and anger and his normally playful looking eyes were now cold and stern as he glared at the rum- thief, his sword still pressed against his neck, glinting in the moonlight.

"Why don't you leave the lady alone, eh?" Captain Jack Sparrow sneered in a would be reasonable voice.

"No! She's mine. I saw her first!" the man snarled, talking about Amber as if she was merely an object not an actual human- being.

"I'm not anybody's," Amber growled, her eyes narrowing at the man. Captain Jack Sparrow pushed the man forwards, his sword still pointing at him.

"I suggest you go now," Jack said, cocking an eyebrow calmly.

The rum-thief glared at Jack and a growl emitted from his lips. He thought better of it though. He turned and sauntered off down the cobbled path, drunkenly. Amber watched after the man thoroughly relieved that he had gone.

"Some men don't know how to treat a lady," Captain Jack Sparrow said, a wry smile playing on his lips as his eyes lingered over Amber's chemise which was showing through the part of the dress which had been torn. Amber covered herself up and shot Jack an icy glare.

"You didn't need to help me. I could of handled that you know," Amber hissed furiously, swinging around and charging off towards the direction of the tavern.

Amber studied the damage of her dress through the gloom of her cellar. Tears stung her eyes as she thought about what had just happened. She knew she could of handled it. She knew she would have been able to fight him off herself. She'd had worse happen to her before. Why did stupid Jack Sparrow have to come to her rescue?

She didn't need a MAN to rescue her. She knew she could manage fine on her own. Now, everyone would think she was losing her touch. They'd think she was weakening to Captain Jack Sparrow by allowing him to save her. She was certain she wasn't going to let people think that. One thing she did have for sure, was determination and she was determined to prove that she could survive in Tortuga on her own.

Amber couldn't help but feel bruised and humiliated by what happened. Especially the fact that her undergarments had been forced to be on show for anyone to see. She wiped the tears gathering around her eyes, furiously, as she selected some black thread from her box so she could set to work at repairing her dress.

The next day was like any other day in Tortuga. Amber spent the very early morning at the beach appreciating the fact that she could sit and think peacefully without any interruption.

Then, it was time to suffer through her long and gruelling shift at the tavern. A shift full of rowdiness and serving drinks to disgusting, disrespectful costumers. It was an understatement to say that Amber was fed up.

Amber looked up from the counter she had just finished cleaning. Someone had been thrown onto it and there had been shards of glass everywhere.

Her emerald eyes scanned the pub looking for any costumers she should serve drinks to.

Amber noticed Jack Sparrow sitting on a table not too far away from her. He was with a short, slightly chubby man who Amber knew was a regular at the tavern- everyone called him 'Gibbs.'

Amber noticed that they had just finished draining their glasses of rum. She knew that she should go over their and retrieve the empty glasses but she didn't really want to. She still felt slightly embarrassed over what had happened yesterday night and she knew that Jack would come up with some cocky remark about it if she went over.

Amber looked around and noticed that all the other barmaids were occupied so she couldn't ask one of them to go over. She sighed in deeply as she began to walk towards their table. She didn't want what happened yesterday to prevent her from doing her job. That would just be silly.

Both Jack and Gibbs looked up as Amber approached.

She picked up the empty glasses and said, "Would you like a refill?"

Jack nodded, "And get one for yourself, Amber. Join us for a drink. See, I took your advice and remembered your name this time,"

"Pity you didn't take my other advice…or perhaps you did and the brothel girls rejected you too," Amber retorted coldly.

"No, why would I want a brothel girl when I can have a drink with a charming lady like yourself?" Jack replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"That's never stopped you before," Amber said, harshly.

Gibbs had to stifle a laugh at this and instead of flying into a rage, like most men would in Tortuga, Captain Jack Sparrow just gave Amber a wry smile and said, "So is that a drink with us. Yes or no?"

"No! Really, Jack, your more persistent than I gave you credit for, the answer will always be no," Amber said, slightly frustrated that any insulting comment she threw at Jack just seemed bounce off him and not irritate him at all.

"Even after I saved you last night…" Jack said, still with a smug smile.

There was a stony silence and Amber gave Jack a piercing glare. She didn't want to be reminded about that.

"Gisele will give you, your drinks," Amber's voice was icy. She turned on her heel and marched off towards the bar.

Jack turned to Gibbs and raised his eyebrows slightly as if to say, '_What's her problem?' _

"You really blew it with her, you know that?" Gibbs said, an amused expression spreading across his plump face.

Jack Sparrow chose not to answer and just rolled his kohl- rimmed eyes instead as he took the drinks off Giselle, who also gave him a cold glare.

"It doesn't reflect on you mate," Gibbs said, trying to sound reassuring, "She's like that with every man. Has never been so much as civil to one. Still a virgin, isn't she?"

"Bet I could win her over," Jack said, raising his glass to his lips.

Gibbs laughed aloud but then noticed that Jack wasn't joking.

"Are you serious?" Gibbs spluttered.

"Gibbs, I'm always serious," Jack said, "I've managed to charm all the women in Tortuga- at least twice- 'cept her. If I actually put some effort into it I'm sure she'll find me impossible to resist. Who wouldn't want to be with Captain Jack Sparrow, eh? I'm some sort of a legend here,"

"No way, matie, no way," Gibbs said, shaking his head, "You don't know Amber. She's impossible. Completely impossible! You know what they call her round here?"

"What?" Jack asked.

"The 'Man Hater.' That means she hates all men," Gibbs said.

"Really? I'd never of guessed," Jack said sarcastically.

"She even stabbed a guy once coz he pulled down her dress," Gibbs said, "Trust me, Jack. She knows about your reputation round 'ere. She'll be extra wary with you,"

"Well, I'll have to try extra hard with her then," Jack said, "I like a challenge,"

"She's more than a challenge, Jack," Gibbs exclaimed, "It would take a bloudi miracle for her to like you. I bet you won't be able to,"

"Did I hear the word bet?" Jack asked, his eyes glinting mischievously, "Fine Gibbs, I'll bet you… ten shillings if I get her into bed with me and…five shilling if I kiss her,"

"You're a fool, Jack," Gibbs said, sighing in deeply.

"That may be so," Jack said, grinning slightly, "Are you going to bet or what?"

"Yeah, course I am, but only coz I am so certain you'll lose," Gibbs said, taking a huge gulp of his rum before leaning over the table to shake hands with Jack, "The bet is on,"

Amber wrapped her shawl tightly around herself as she made her way towards the beach. The familiar cobbled street was eerily silent at this time in the morning. It was rather unnerving so it was understandable that Amber almost jumped out of her skin when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She whirled around and realised that it was Captain Jack Sparrow, staring at her jauntily with an amused expression on his face.

Amber's eyebrows furrowed. She was seeing to much of this guy and it was really bugging her.

"Is it wise for a lady as small as yourself to wonder around the streets so early in the morning?" Jack asked.

Amber glared at him, hating the fact that he was insinuating that she was small and defenceless, "Unless you are blind then you can clearly see that it is safer to walk the streets of Tortuga this time in the morning than it is any other time of day. There is no one around. Besides, what business is it of yours?"

"If there's no one around then there is no one to hear your screams if you, say… get attacked," Jack said, obviously referring to when he had 'saved' her yet again.

"If I get attacked, I'll sort it out myself," Amber said through gritted teeth.

Smoky could sense his owner's anger at Jack. He hissed up at him, stretching out a sharp claw as though warning Jack off.

"Oh, you have a guard…cat, I see," Jack said, smiling down at the cat who just continued to hiss up at him.

Amber just rolled her eyes at him before continuing on her way down the street. She was enraged to see that Jack persisted on following her. "Jack, I do not wish for your company, please leave me alone," Amber said, much calmer than she felt.

"I was just wondering. Why are you up so early? Don't you need your beauty sleep?" Jack asked, having to walk rather fast to keep up with her.

"I could say the same for you," Amber said, just wishing he'd go away.

"No I don't need beauty sleep, luv. I think I'm beautiful enough," Jack teased.

"Not about that," Amber said, not realising he was joking, "Why are you up so early?"

"I just am. Early bird catches the worm, as it were. Now your turn, Amber, what reason do you have to wonder the streets so early?" Jack asked.

"Same reason," Amber replied, obviously not answering him truthfully, "Are you going to persist in stalking me, Jack? Or are you going to leave me be before I have reason to hurt you,"

"Hurt me?" Jack said, raising his eyebrows, "You forget, luv." He tapped the top of his sword which was sticking out of it's holder as though reminding her that he had it.

"You wouldn't kill me," Amber said, uncertainly.

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Jack asked.

"You wouldn't of wasted your time in what you believed was 'saving' me the other day if you were just going to kill me now anyway," Amber said, agitatedly.

"True," Jack said, smirking slightly, "Why do you have so much of a problem over me helping you the other day, missy?"

"I didn't need any help. I would have been able to get him off me by myself," Amber said, looking at Jack with furious eyes.

"It didn't look that way to me," Jack said, "I rescued a damsel in distress, the least I expect is her swooning all over me,"

"I was no damsel in distress I can assure you," Amber snarled, "And there's nothing in the world I'd hate more than to swoon over you,"

Amber had passed the beach. She didn't want to go down there to her favourite spot with Jack following her. It was her special place and she didn't want him contaminating it.

"It looks to me like you don't even know where your going, luv," Jack said.

"I do," Amber said, frustrated, "But you aren't as smart as you think you are Jack. You haven't even noticed that I'm trying to shake you off,"

"No, I haven't noticed. You make it so not obvious by saying 'Go away Jack before I hurt you' y'know," Jack said, cocking his head to one side as he looked at Amber, who was glaring at the floor looking very frustrated and irritated by Jack.

"And yet you haven't," Amber said, roughly.

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**Right, I'm going to leave it here but I promise I'll update soon…if you want me to.  
Please review. I'll be ever so grateful. : ) Xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed so far- cassie, Johnny-Depp-and-fire-lover, Soccer-bitch, stealingseamonkeys, Aerobabe, Dugadugabowbow, enchantedwriter72, Draco'sGirl05, Rory4, marta and Tracks of Destiny.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

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**Chapter 3**

Captain Jack Sparrow did eventually leave Amber alone although it seemed like he had been following her for ages. Despite Amber consistently telling him to go away he never seemed to take the hint and it infuriated her that he seemed to be so immune to all her threats and insults. She was also incredibly curious as to why he had, had a sudden change in heart and had decided to follow her around Tortuga. He had never paid her any particular interest before, apart from always asking her to have a drink with him, that is.She didn't like Jack's newfound interest in her. All she really wanted was for everyone to leave her alone so she could basically wallow in self pity.

She was really annoyed to find that she didn't have anytime to go down to the beach. It was now occupied by many black market merchants and pirates who were boarding their ships and getting ready to set sail across the Caribbean. Amber had completely missed her time of sitting down with a peaceful and quiet surrounding and it was all stupid Jack's fault. That was her breather of the day. It was the only thing that got her through her shift at the tavern, to know that she could escape to this place every morning.

Amber sighed in deeply, the salty sea air whipping her black hair in front of her face, as she peered out at the gathering merchants polluting the beach. Her worn eyes glanced down at Smoky who was sitting silently by her feet, his unwavering gaze also set upon the noisy merchants. She leaned down and scooped him up in her arms. He snuggled up, managing to get himself in a comfy position, as Amber playfully tickled him under the chin.

"I suppose we'll have to head off towards the tavern, Smoky," she spoke to her cat, her voice dull as though it pained her to say it. Smoky looked up at his owner, glumly, almost as though he understood what she was saying.

Perhaps it was because Amber hadn't had her time to relax today but Amber couldn't help but feel that her shift at the Tavern was much more stressful and much more hard work than it had ever been before. Twice, she had almost been squished beneath some brawling drunkards. Normally, she could just avoid these easily but today she just seemed to be in the wrong parts of the tavern at the wrong time.

Also, someone had tried to set fire to her dress. She had managed to stomp it out in time before it inflicted much damage on the material. She didn't see who the culprit was so she couldn't do anything about it which disappointed her greatly.

Amber stood behind the bar, filling two mugs with rum, cursing silently to herself, when she noticed Jack Sparrow enter the tavern. Without thinking, Amber just ducked behind the bar, accidentally spilling the mugs of rum as she did so. Ignoring the rum irritatingly dripping on the ground beside her, Amber lay close to the floor so that she was hidden by the bar in front of her. She noticed that she was getting a few odd looks from fellow barmaids but she ignored them. She wasn't entirely sure why she hid when Jack came in. She wasn't frightened of him. Just annoyed by him. She couldn't stand his company. He was far too cocky and arrogant. A typical man.

Amber had a great shock when she heard Jack's voice above her, "Now, I'm not an expert but I don't really think that's how you serve drinks…"

Amber looked up, sheepishly. Jack and Gibbs were standing in front of the bar, peering over it and looking at Amber with amused expressions.

Amber shot up, "I was…eh…looking for…uh…something,"

"I'm sure you were," Jack said, not convinced, "Don't worry, I'm not here to bother you, I'm just here for some rum. Although I am fairly worried that you would infact waste decent rum by pouring it on the floor. Are you sure your entirely cut out for this whole barmaid job?"

"I've been here many years, Jack, I know how to do my job," Amber said snappily, quickly refilling the mugs, ignoring the fact that Jack was actually just joking around with her.

Jack raised his eyebrows slightly as he accepted the mugs of rum from Amber. He passed one to Gibbs.

"I know that you often refuse to have a drink with us but if you do have a sudden change in heart, your always welcome to come over and have a drink or two. We'll be here all night, trust me," Jack said, his gold teeth glinting as he gave Amber a cocky grin.

Amber just rolled her eyes at him and pretended to be busy serving some other pirates who had come over to the bar.

Jack took the hint and sauntered off with Gibbs in the direction of the table which they normally sat on. As Gibbs sat down he gave Jack a triumphant grin.

"May I ask as to why you are grinning at me so oddly, Gibbs?" Jack asked, sitting down and placing his mug of rum on the table.

"I think you may as well just give me my money now," Gibbs said, still with the grin spread across his face, "It's obvious your going to lose this bet. She's more colder towards you now than she was before. What is that you owe me….fifteen shillings, all together," Gibbs rubbed his hands together greedily.

"That isn't so, yet," Jack said, confidently, "It's only a matter of time… she'll warm up to me…you'll see…"

The landlord had provided Amber with a bucket and sponge in her cellar and Amber would occasionally fill it with water so she could wash herself. The only problem with this was that many people came down to the cellar to collect barrels of rum to bring up to the bar (they ran through rum quite quickly) and Amber felt really uncomfortable about the fact that she didn't have any privacy to wash. She'd hate it if someone came down into the cellar whilst she was washing. It wasn't as though she could just lock the door either seeing as the door could only be locked from the outside.

Amber had always really loathed having to wash in the cellar as she had always been self- conscious about her body and she didn't want anyone to see her in only her undergarments. But she did manage to find a way of overcoming this problem. When she was a young teenager, she'd often get away from the rowdiness of Tortuga by exploring the caves and the rocky landscape surrounding it. This part of Tortuga was completely deserted mainly because the people of Tortuga were far too busy drinking and brawling to appreciate Tortuga's landscape. It was also a difficult and perhaps slightly dangerous place to explore, as the rocks were steep and sometimes brittle, and you'd soon be out of breath from climbing them. But as I have said before, Amber was a determined person, and she had been determined as a teenager to explore every inch of the rocky landscape so she could discover if there was a lot more to Tortuga than just Taverns, rum, fighting and wenches.

Throughout her exploration she had discovered a type of lagoon amongst the rocks. It had taken her almost a year to find it was that well hidden. The water in this lagoon was warm and quite clear. It was almost as if it was a giant rock pool that never seemed to dry up. It was so quiet near the lagoon. The only sound was the distant noise from central Tortuga but it sounded so faint and far away. Amber really liked it here. It was so quiet and exclusive from everything else in Tortuga. She would have liked to of gone there every morning to soak in the warm waters without any interruption whatsoever but it took her far too long to get there as it was so hidden amongst the rocky terrain. Instead, she'd only go when she could get time off her shift, which was quite often just not often enough. She felt that she needed to go to the lagoon as it was the only place she could wash where she felt comfortable and knew there wasn't any chance of anyone seeing her. Of course, if she couldn't get to the lagoon she would risk it and attempt to have a wash with the bucket and sponge but she much preferred to go to the lagoon.

Amber had managed to get some time off of her shift and she took this opportunity to go down to the lagoon. She had decided to set off early morning as she was normally up at this time anyway (she rarely slept) and she knew it would take her a long time to get there.

She got herself a towel and some other bathing supplies to take with her and set off down the empty cobbled streets, Smoky trailing along behind her, as always. Once she had reached the rocky terrain, she began to climb over the jagged rocks. It was an exhausting journey and quite a dangerous one at that, what with the crumbling bits of rock beneath her feet. She had to be careful where she stepped in case she dislodged the rock she was standing on and fell. It was so much harder to get there for her now than it was when she was a teenager.

When she eventually did see the beautiful lagoon coming into view, although she felt tired and completely out of breath, she also felt a sense of accomplishment that she had managed to get past the unstable rocks and reach a place which was so nice and peaceful.

Smoky sprinted ahead of Amber, towards the lagoon, the journey wasn't as difficult for him so he seemed to still have a lot of energy left over. Although Smoky hated water and never went too close to the lagoon, he loved to laze on the rocks surrounding it, basking in the sun's warm rays which always seemed to cast over the lagoon.

Amber approached the lagoon and stood by the edge of it catching her breath for a second. She sat down on the warm ground and kicked off the boots she was wearing so she could dip her sore feet in the water.

After a couple of minutes she got up and pulled her dress off, placing it delicately on a nearby rock. She took off her many beads and other accessories and placed them nearby before stepping into the warm, smooth waters, still wearing her chemise and drawers. She wouldn't take them off. She was very uncomfortable about stripping off and even though the lagoon was always deserted she couldn't help but worry in case someone did happen to come along whilst she was washing.

The lagoon was quite shallow it just came up to the top of Amber's collarbone. Amber paddled across it slowly and dunked her head under, soaking her tangle of curls. Just as she came to surface she noticed someone lounging on a rock nearby, watching her intently. It was Jack Sparrow, he was perched casually on a rock, looking thoroughly amused at Amber's shocked expression.

Amber quickly darted down in the water so that her chemise wasn't visible. She didn't want Jack to see her in her undergarments which were so incredibly soaked to her skin that they didn't leave much to the imagination.

"What…how…when…?" Amber couldn't even get her words out she was that angry at Jack.

"Oh no, don't stop now, I was just starting to enjoy myself," Jack teased, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"You horrid wretch!" Amber spat, her eyes blazing furiously at him, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Jack said, completely ignoring the fact that Amber was absolutely furious with him and just continuing to tease her.

Amber chose to ignore this comment and just began yelling at him angrily, "You followed me here, didn't you? You ARE a stalker! You're a perverse bastard spying on me washing!"

Jack got up from the rock, staggering slightly. "Sticks and stones, luv," he said, calmly, "And besides, how was I to know you were going to practically strip off in front of me…that's just an added bonus. As far as I was concerned when I started following you, you were just going on a rather eccentric and perilous walk through this rocky terrain as it were,"

Amber ignored Jack's witty comebacks as they irritated her greatly, instead she waded over towards the edge of the lagoon, muttering dark curses under her breath. Her curses weren't muttered that quietly though because Jack heard what she was saying.

"I don't think you should waste your delightful insults on me, luv, save them for someone they'd really offend," Jack said as he casually strode over to the edge of the lagoon.

"Look away so I can get out and get my dress on!" Amber demanded, hoping that he would actually listen and do what she tells him for once.

"How about if I just close my eyes?"

"Yes, whatever, just don't look because if you do I swear…I'll…I'll," Amber struggled to think of what she could threaten Jack with.

"You'll what?" Jack asked, laughing inwardly at her attempts of insulting him.

"Well, I don't know!" Amber growled getting increasingly frustrated, "Just close your eyes…NOW!"

Jack gave Amber a cocky grin before rather obediently closing his kohl-rimmed eyes. Amber shot him a dark look, checking to make sure his eyes were firmly closed, they apparently seemed to be. Amber took a deep breath and quickly got out of the lagoon.

She grabbed her towel and quickly glanced at Jack. She was enraged to see that one eye was open.

"JACK!" she yelled, hastily wrapping her towel around her, "You're a right bastard, do you know that?"

"Yes, I had some idea," Jack said, laughing.

"I really hate you," Amber spat darkly, "Can't you just go away and leave me alone? Why are you always following me? I don't want you to, okay!"

"Why do you hate my company so much? I'm quite an easy man to get along with if you actually gave me a chance," Jack said, leaning against a nearby rock.

"I don't want to give you a chance! I don't want your company!" Amber yelled, getting more and more furious by the minute (if that was at all possible) "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Calm down, missy," Jack said, not at all perturbed by Amber yelling at him, "If you hated my company that much you should of just said. Fine, I will go..."

Jack began to walk away leaving Amber silently bubbling with anger as she began to pick up her dress and accessories.

She was actually rather surprised he had given up and left to easily. Jack didn't seen to be the type to do that.

Amber had managed to spend a whole day without seeing or bumping into Jack anywhere. She was incredibly relieved. Jack really got on her nerves. He was an arrogant and perverse man and she hated that he had been so persistent in following her and talking to her. She wondered what on earth he had been playing at. Seeing as she hadn't seen him all day, Amber wondered if Jack had finally given up and had realised that Amber absolutely despised him.

It was lucky Amber didn't get her hopes up because the following day, when she was heading back from the beach to begin her shift in the Tavern, she banged into Captain Jack Sparrow yet again (literally).

Disgruntled from almost being knocked flying by Jack, Amber glared up at him clearly agitated, wondering if this was merely an accident or if Jack had been purposely following her again.

"You really should watch where you are going, Missy," Jack said, holding onto Amber's shoulders to stop her from stumbling backwards after banging into him.

Amber shrugged him off and gave him a piercing glare.

"Don't touch me," she hissed darkly.

"Don't deny it Amber, you want me to really," Jack teased.

Amber gave him yet another dark glare and tried to shove past him but he stood in her way.

"Don't I even get a 'good morning' and a 'how are you today?'" Jack asked, smiling down at her, "You have no manners, Amber,"

"I don't particularly want to be pleasant and good mannered to people like you," Amber said through gritted teeth.

"People like me? What ever do you mean by that?" Jack Sparrow asked looking genuinely interested.

"Well…" Amber said, agitatedly, "Well…a pirate…You're arrogant and always cocky and full of yourself. And, you always seem to be drunk!"

Jack looked closely at Amber and said, "Your just scratching the surface of me, luv, you don't even know me…really,"

"I don't want to know you, okay?" Amber pushed past him rather violently, "Beneath the surface you will probably be just worse,"

Amber began walking away from him hoping that he would stop bothering her but hoping wasn't good enough, Jack continued to follow her, walking beside her as though they were in the middle of a delightful conversation rather than a heated argument. Actually, the argument seemed to be more one sided. Amber threw insults at him, Jack did not retaliate, just carried on teasing her or attempting to be friendly and that just infuriated Amber more than it actually would if he was equally as nasty back.

"Why are you always following me?" Amber asked, frowning at Jack who was staggering slightly as he sashayed beside her.

"Your rather vain to think I'm always following you, luv…" Jack teased, glancing at Amber sideways.

"Yeah but you are!" Amber snapped, "Answer me properly, Jack, if that is at all possible. Give me a straight answer to my question- Why are you following me?"

"Well…I just want to spend sometime with my favourite barmaid…" Jack said, shrugging his shoulders.

Amber gave him a look which basically meant- _You are so unbelievable!_ That wasn't the answer she was looking for. She knew it wasn't true. How could it be when she was so cold to him?

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**By the way, Sorry about not updating in quite a bit. I am back at school after the half term hols and they have totally piled the homework on us. It's ridiculous!  
I'm trying to update as much as I possibly can.**

Please R&R and tell me what ya think…Xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognise……..

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**

**Chapter 4**

Amber decided to ignore Jack's infuriating behaviour and carried on walking in the direction of the tavern. She knew she needn't stress herself out with pointless bickering but she found it so hard to compress her anger enough so that she was capable of being able to carry on walking and to attempt to pretend that Jack wasn't walking beside her making irritating comments. Jack seemed almost like a child. It was just the way he annoyed her in his childish, mocking ways. He knew he was getting to her yet he seemed to enjoy tormenting her. It seemed to amuse him when she was angry and frustrated. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Jack sashayed beside her, uncharacteristically quiet. Amber preferred it that way. It made it much easier for her to pretend he wasn't there.

The tavern came into view, already with a collection of tarted- up wenches and mindlessly drunk louts hanging around outside it. Amber noticed Jack's friend, Gibbs, casually perched on an upturned rum barrel, taking a swig out of a little satchel thing. He appeared to be waiting for someone. Amber assumed that it was Jack. Gibbs happened to look over in the direction of Jack and Amber and he raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. Amber looked at Jack to see what his reaction back to Gibbs would be. She had wondered what Gibbs was suggesting by raising his eyebrows. She hoped he didn't think that she and Jack were together. That was not the image she wished to portray to people who were seeing them walking the streets of Tortuga together.

Jack just glanced at Amber quickly. His tanned face rather emotionless but with the exception of his dark eyes, which appeared to be full of thought as though he was considering something. Amber frowned at him and was about to turn away when he suddenly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. Before Amber's brain even started to comprehend what was happening, Jack's lips connected with hers.

Amber immediately pushed him off, deeply shocked and absolutely fuming. She couldn't believe the nerve of him. She felt furious hate build up inside her as she automatically reached for the hidden dagger. Just as she was about to pull out the dagger and prove to Jack that he can't just follow her around, mess with her head and kiss her without her putting up a fight, Jack grabbed her arm and pulled it away from her before she had the chance to grasp the dagger's hilt properly.

"Now, there's no need for that, missy..."

Amber glared up at him, her green eyes vivid and her tiny face contorted slightly in anger and slight confusion. Jack gave her a wry smile, probably arrogantly thinking that he has one over Amber and that she can't do anything about it. Amber scowled deeply at him and suddenly brought up her free hand and with all the strength she could muster, slapped him across the face.

Jack reeled back slightly looking rather shocked.

Amber felt the grip on her arm loosen and she took this opportunity to hastily tug it from his grasp. Determinedly averting his gaze, she swung around violently and scooped up Smoky (who was threateningly spitting and hissing at Jack) and half walked, half ran towards the tavern, almost knocking Gibbs off of his rum barrel as she did so.

Gibbs approached Jack, shaking his head and finding it extremely difficult to suppress his laughter.  
Jack, who had been watching after the furious Amber storming off, was interrupted by the odd, choking noise of Gibbs desperately trying to stop himself from laughing at Jack.

Jack's emotionless face clouded over into a frown as he waited for Gibbs to stop spluttering uncontrollably and actually speak.

"I see your making progress there…" Gibbs wheezed as he took another gulp from his little satchel as though to prevent himself from erupting into another gale of laughter.

Jack scowled deeply at Gibbs, sensing his sarcasm "You know what this means though, don't you, mate? You owe me 5 shillings,"

Gibbs choked on a huge mouthful of rum he had just gulped from the satchel. He stared at Jack wide-eyed, "And what makes ye say that?"

"If I remember correctly, our accord stated that if I kiss her I will receive 5 shillings from you, savvy?"

Gibbs continued to stare at Jack. A bemused expression engulfing his face. The little cogs in his brain appeared to be working overtime as he tried to figure a way out of paying Jack. "Aye, but she wasn't very willing, was she?"

"Willing or not willing was never mentioned in our bet. We simply agreed on that if I kiss her I'd get 5 shillings," Jack was persistent.

Gibbs sighed and gave Jack an exasperated look, "Jack, you of all people should know that I don't have that kind of money,"

"Yes, and that's because you're a silly old fool who wastes all his money on rum..."

Gibbs looked at Jack with an expression which simply meant, '_Well, you have a point.._' He accepted the criticism because he knew he had to find a way of wriggling out of giving Jack money. Besides he knew he only had a couple of shillings left over anyway. He couldn't afford to give any to Jack even if he wanted to.

"Okay, Jack, I just had a thought. How about if I manage to gather some money together. I'll pay ye 5 shillings, I swear. Just give me some time. How about it?"

Jack looked sideways at Gibbs, his brow furrowed as he considered it, "Alright, Gibbs, just as long as you do pay me back…"

Amber wasn't all too surprised when she no longer 'accidentally' ran into Jack. She in fact felt rather relieved. She wondered if she had finally frightened him off. It was about a week until she noticed Jack's ship, 'The Black Pearl,' was no longer docked up at the harbour. She knew he'd be back though. He always came back. He'd always take long, sometimes short, voyages on 'The Black Pearl,' with his buccaneer crew but he'd eventually come back to Tortuga- probably to restock on rum or to go and visit his favourite wenches in the brothel. Amber wasn't all too sure.

Amber walked down the street, Smokey scurrying to keep up at her heels, her black hair whipping back behind her. She scanned the scenery ahead of her and was rather surprised to see Captain Jack Sparrow walking towards her. Amber stopped in her tracks causing Smokey to collide with her ankles. She looked down at Smokey who was shaking his little, furry head as though he was dizzy. Amber smiled at him, apologetically, before picking him up. She looked back up and saw that Jack was approaching ever closer and was looking determinedly at Amber.

Amber rolled her eyes. She had hoped she wouldn't have to see anymore of Jack. She wondered if she should turn back and start walking towards the tavern to get away from him. She sure wanted to. But before she got a chance to even turn around she realised Jack was only a couple of meters away from her. She noticed he had a package tucked under his arm.

He stopped in front of her, gave her a slight smile, and said, "Here…My apologies to you for my inappropriate behaviour last week. I realise it was uncalled for," He shoved the package into her arms, "I saw this and I thought of you. Green really suits you,"

With that he flashed her another smile before whipping around and walking back in the direction he came from, leaving Amber feeling rather stunned.

Initially all that was running through her mind was, '_Omigod, did he just apologise to me?'_ She hadn't expected him to do anything like that. It seemed to be completely out of character for him. That threw Amber's just- like- any- other- pirate- here view of him out the window. She'd never been apologised to before.

But then she started to think '_But did he really mean it?_' She didn't want to be taken for a fool and she didn't want to accept fake apologies and bribes. How likely was it for Captain Jack Sparrow to apologise, admit he was wrong, and actually mean it?

She put Smokey down on the ground so she could get a better look at the package. She felt curiosity build up inside of her as she wondered what it was. It had been years and years since she had a present and that distantly familiar feeling of being six years old and first seeing all your Christmas presents on Christmas morning was returning to her.

She carried the parcel down to the beach so she could sit down and open it. As she kneeled down on the soft sand, Smokey immediately settled himself on her lap and sniffed the parcel curiously.

Amber began to pull apart the loosely- wrapped, brown package and found the most beautiful material she had ever seen inside. It was a startling emerald green colour and had shimmering gold thread running through it in elaborate patterns. It looked truly beautiful and the material felt like the softest silk as she ran it through her hands. It must have been extremely expensive. No material in Tortuga looked or felt like that.

Then Amber realised that Jack had probably looted it from some rich ladies home when he was on his travels. Amber's expression of awe changed into one of disgust. She felt rather silly thinking for that split second that Jack could of possibly put thought and money into getting her something as beautiful as this. He probably just saw it and decided to grab it, no thought or consideration at all. Thinking this almost made Amber want to throw the material away but watching the material glisten and flicker against the light, she knew she couldn't do it.

After Amber studied the material for a while she began to think, '_How on earth does Jack know I get material to make my own dresses'  
_  
A disconcerting feeling washed over Amber but she shook it off by trying to convince herself that she shouldn't look too much into things. She wasn't used to interacting with people too much although you'd think being a barmaid would be a very public job involving talking to people a lot, but the people who inhabited Tortuga weren't what you'd call friendly folk and they barely spoke to her. Not that she really wanted to talk to them either. She treated them so harshly and was so negative towards them she didn't really blame them if they didn't give her the time of day.

It's just she couldn't help but feel lonely sometimes. And now Captain Jack Sparrow seemed to be paying particular interest to her and actually attempting to get to know her and Amber had no idea whatsoever how to react. Her immediate response is to act as hostile as possible. That's what she's used to. But Jack had been so persistent…and now a gift… Amber had this little part of her which wanted to speak to Jack and not treat him so harshly. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't help but notice the negative things about him. They stood out too much to her. She's the type of person who always notices the bad points about people and finds it hard to get past that. Why couldn't she just accept the gift as Jack's well- meant apology? …She just couldn't…She'd be lying to herself if she did.

It was a couple of days until Amber saw Jack again. She was sitting at her favourite spot on the beach, working hard on the new dress she was making from the material Jack had given her when she heard Jack's distinctive voice beside her.

"Do you mind if I sit down with you?"

Amber looked up at him with a tired and disgruntled expression, "If I say no you'll sit there anyway, won't you?"

"Of course," Jack said, plonking himself down beside Amber.

Amber shuffled away from him slightly but refused to leave. This was her breather of the day and she wasn't going to leave early for anybody. Smokey seemed to feel the same way. He swiped a claw out a Jack.

"I see your guard cat isn't all too fond of me," Jack said, eyeing the hissing cat apprehensively, "Like it's owner then, isn't it?"

Amber merely nodded not wishing to engage in any conversation with Jack.

"You wouldn't think we were in Tortuga, would you?" Jack said, his dark eyes scanning the deserted environment.

Amber glanced at Jack sideways and shook her head, "No, you wouldn't..."

They both sat in appreciated silence for a while, listening to the relaxing sounds of the sea.

"Do you like it then?" Jack's voice broke the silence. Amber looked at him to see what he was talking about. He was looking at the material Amber was currently sewing.

"Yes, who wouldn't?" Amber sighed, running her hand along the soft, flowing material, "The only problem is that you pilfered it, no doubt,"

Jack raised an eyebrow and laughed slightly, "Aye, it's typical you'd think that. Even if I said I'd saved up and bought it for you, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't believe you…" Amber said, truthfully, her eyes still fixed on the glimmering material. Jack nodded in acceptance.

"How did you know that I bought material to make my dresses?" Amber sounded suspicious as she voiced what she'd just been wondering about.

"Well, there's no dresses like that in Tortuga," Jack said, glancing at what Amber was wearing with a wry smile.

Amber looked down at the eccentric dress she was wearing, "I suppose not,"

"I like your dresses though. They're different…" Jack said quietly, as though he wasn't used to complimenting someone and being sincere about it.

"I could say the same about you, Jack," Amber said, looking at him, "What you wear isn't exactly what you could call…normal, is it?"

Jack smiled and said, "But may I enquire as to whether you like it or not?"

Amber surveyed his clothing, his hairstyle, his kohl-rimmed eyes, his trinkets and effects. She nodded, "In a way, yes I do. Did you collect the trinkets and stuff from your travels?"

Jack flicked one in his hair playfully, "Yes…and I didn't pilfer them if that is what your thinking. They were given to me,"

"By whom?" Amber asked curiously.

"A lady friend…from Singapore," Jack said casually.

Amber frowned at this. It reminded her that Jack was yet another womanising pirate and if she was sane she wouldn't be engaging in a conversation with him at all.

"Oh," she murmured.

Another long silence followed this. Amber put all her concentration into sewing her dress but after a while she looked up. She watched Jack whose dark eyes were fixed on a ship in the distance. It was a large ship with billowing black sails and it had the appearance that it was very powerful and beautiful. Amber knew this ship was Jack's ship. It was the Black Pearl. She's heard so many tales and stories about it so she'd recognise it a mile off.

Jack was watching it with admiration and love flickering in his eyes. Amber could tell he was extremely fond of his ship just by studying his facial expressions as he watched it.

She decided to break the silence, "Jack….what made you become a pirate?"

Jack tore his eyes away from the Black Pearl and looked at Amber. He seemed rather surprised at the question as though he didn't know quite what to say.

"Y'know, Nobody's ever actually asked me that before,"

"Haven't they? Well it's good to know I'm the first," Amber said, giving Jack a tiny hint of a smile.

"It seems I had no choice but to be pirate, I can't think of any other life for me," Jack said, his gaze returning to the Black Pearl, "Being a pirate is all about freedom, my ship- The Pearl- symbolises freedom,"

Amber slowly nodded. She had never heard anyone talk so passionately about something before and Amber understood what he meant. It made her feel a twang of envy. Jack had freedom. Something she so desperately wanted. Jack glanced back at Amber. Her attentive expression encouraged him to go on.

"With The Pearl I can go anywhere I want. Anywhere in the world! And with being a pirate there are no rules, no regulations, I can do as I please and go where I please. I would find it insufferable to be stuck in one place following the rules like a good citizen. I'd feel suffocated. I need to know that I am free to do as I chose without limitations…."

This made Amber start to think that perhaps there was more to being a pirate than constantly drinking, bedding wenches, pilfering, rioting and setting fire to things. This was Amber's impression of pirates because that's what she had to witness throughout the many years she'd been in Tortuga. That's all she'd seen pirates as and had thought that the only reason they even wanted to be a pirate was to get an easy, dishonest passage through life. She'd never considered that perhaps there was more to it than that. She had never considered the absolute freedom of it. The fact that you have the whole ocean open to you and there's no one telling you what to do or how to live your life. Amber really, really envied Jack for this. She often dreamed of escaping from Tortuga and having the option to go where she pleased.

"A Pirates Life! An easy life for lazy fool if you ask me…" Amber said haughtily, deliberately trying to put a damper on Jack who was gazing at 'The Black Pearl,' as though it was the most glorious thing in the world.

"Easy…HA! Obviously your clueless about it. Life at sea…although rewarding…is one of the toughest life's you can have. Think about it…we run out of food really quickly and are stuck with stale bread and salted meat, horrible stuff. And there's loads of sea illnesses going around. You basically just drink yourself senseless just to get by sometimes. Then there's the boredom…sometimes your just hoping that you'll encounter another ship or that they'll be heavy gales and rain. At least it gives you something to do. You don't know how easy you've got it here, do you Missy?"

"I haven't got it easy!" Amber said indignantly, glaring at Jack, now completely abandoning her sewing, "I can understand the harshness of life at sea but I'd much prefer that to how I live now! At least you can go anywhere you chose, I'm stuck here. I've been stuck here ever since I was six years old and I hate it here!"

"C'mon, it isn't that bad!" Jack exclaimed, "As I always say it's indeed a sad lot that has never breathed the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga,"

"Oh sure enough YOU like it. Every pirate likes it here. It's over run with the scoundrels if you ask me," Amber said, sounding slightly exasperated, "You don't even realise how hard it is for someone like me to survive here. Stuck in the same pathetic job day in, day out and constantly having to avoid being harassed by drunken louts. No wonder most of the women here become brothel girls. It's like they don't even have a choice. I've been here for 22 years and I still don't even feel safe enough to go to sleep at night. Yeah Tortuga may seem to be a 'sweet proliferous bouquet,' to a man…but for a women….it's like being hell…"

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**So, so, so, so, so, so sorry for the delay! No, I'm not dead- don't worry…  
I'll try to be more frequent in updating…that'll be my belated new years resolution )**


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